Mysterious Ties
by Juzu
Summary: Sequel to To Save An Angel! The evil madman is back...and wants to finish his experiments...he has picked his targets...now to catch them...but can their friends save them in time? Please R/R!
1. chapter 1

(Author's Note: Hello! I'm back! Actually I never went anywhere but hey…okay! This story is the sequel to the story To Save An Angel. It's going to focus on Sephiroth, Cassandra, Rueh, and Dete…mostly. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to have happen and I have another story I'm working on too so updates might be every other day but I will try for a chapter every day. Any ideas you have for names and things to have happen are welcome. Oh yeah! I'm putting this in paragraphs too! Please R&R! Thanks!)

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Cassandra and Dete are. Rueh belongs to Rueh…(I hope…)

**Chapter 1**

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-3 weeks later-

Sephiroth sat at a table in the center of a circular room. The walls of the room were covered with books. He had one elbow on the table top and his chin rested in his hand. He looked bored and somewhat annoyed.

"We look through every book here and the 2 we needed we the first 2 we saw but didn't look at," he said in a dull tone as he watched the person sitting across the table from him.

Cassandra looked up at him from the book in front of her. She stuck her tongue out at him. "I told you you could help but you decided to go out and find a place for us to live instead. We would have found these 2 books faster if you would have helped," she said.

 "Well in any case we found them. Now what are we going to do?" he asked leaning back in his chair.

"Talk to Red for a few minutes. Then…I guess we'll be on our way to wherever you found us a house," she said standing up.

He stood up and put his arms around her waist as she walked past him. She looked up at him and smiled. "Come on. Let's go," she said.

He followed her from the room. After searching for a few minutes they finally found Red XIII talking to Rueh and Dete.

"Hey Red. We found the books we were looking for. Do you think we could borrow them for awhile then return them when we were done?" Cassandra asked.

"Certainly. For some odd reason 2 copies of those books were made. I am not sure why but you may keep those for as long as you need," Red said looking up at her.

"Thanks. Sephiroth says he found us a place to live so I guess we'll be on our way," she said.

"Very well. We'll see each other in the future I suppose," he said.

"Yeah. Thanks again. Rueh, Dete, let's go," Sephiroth said.

"Where are we going? Huh huh?" Rueh asked.

"To our home," he said.

"Where where?"

"You'll see," he said and headed for where their 2 chocobos were tied. They mounted the chocobos, Sephiroth and Rueh on one, Cassandra and Dete on the other. "Now follow me," he said. They started forward.

"Are we there yet?" 

"No Rueh."

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"Are we there yet?"

"No Rueh! For the last time not yet!"

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"ARE WE THERE YET?"

"YES! WE'RE HERE!"

"Good."

Sephiroth sighed in relief as they dismounted the chocobos. They were on the outskirts of Costa Del Sol. 

"So. Where's our house?" Cassandra asked looking around.

"Cloud bought a villa didn't he?" Sephiroth asked.

"You got the villa from him?"

"Yep."

"Yeah!" all 3 ran to the villa leaving Sephiroth with the chocobos.

"Oh fine. I'll take care of them…" he started toward the back yard of the villa where a shed for chocobos was. He put the chocobos in separate stalls then gave them food and water. He groomed them and took the packs off their backs. He carried them to the back door and turned the knob to open it. But it was still locked.

"Hey Cassandra! Come unlock this door!" he said and knocked on it. There was no answer. He knocked again only a little louder. Still nothing. With an annoyed look he tried again…and again…and again…but still nothing.

It took a few tries but then Dete appeared and unlocked the door. Once that was done she turned and disappeared again.

"Hey! Come back here!" he said closing the door behind him and following her. She stopped and turned to face him. She yawned. "Oh. Let me guess. Rueh's already asleep," he said.

She nodded and went into the bedroom to claim the other bed. Sephiroth set the packs down and went to the living room to find Cassandra looking through one of the books.

"Find anything yet?" he asked.

"Yeah…it says that the Creta have the ability to feel others when they are conscious. But they're not Creta are they?" she said looking up at him as he sat down beside her.

"I don't know…we don't know what Hojo did to them…what's that?" he said pulling the book away from her to turn the page and look at what had caught his eye. 

"What's what?" she asked looking over his shoulder.

"It looks like some kind of legend…'That in which hides in the shadows is your enemy, but that in which hides in the darkness is not.' Hmm…wonder what that means?" he said.

"I don't know but I leave you to think about it. I'm going to unpack," Cassandra said as she stood. She walked down the hall to where the packs were and opened one of them then began to take things out of it.

Sephiroth continued to skim through the book while still thinking about that legend. _'What does this mean?' he was determined to figure this legend out. After a few minutes he put the book down and got up to help Cassandra with unpacking the second pack._

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	2. chapter 2

(Author's Note: Well…I'm going on vacation so there will be no updates in any of my stories for a week…I will try to update as soon as I can when I get back though…but I thought I would just let you all know that I am still working on this story…thanks. Enjoy the next chapter!)

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Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Dete is. Rueh belongs to Rueh.

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**Chapter 2**

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"Everything is in order…they are all that I need…and I shall get them in time…nothing and no one will stop me…this time I shall succeed…"

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-4 years later-

"Picnic trip! Picnic trip! We're going on a picnic!" Rueh and Dete sang as they skipped ahead of Cassandra. Sephiroth was looking for monsters around the town to get rid of them. They were walking in a forest near Costal Del Sol. There was a clearing just ahead of them.

Once there they spread a blanket on the grass. Dete suddenly screamed. Rueh laughed evilly and ran away from her.

"GET BACK HERE!" Dete yelled and gave chase.

"What did she do?" Cassandra asked with a sigh.

"She put a bug in my hair!" Rueh laughed even more as Dete said that.  Cassandra just shook her head as Dete chased Rueh around the clearing.

They kept this up for awhile but soon grew tired of it. Cassandra turned at the sound of a chocobo behind her. She looked into the forest waiting for the chocobo and Sephiroth to appear but they didn't. She glanced from side to side when the laughter from Rueh and Dete suddenly stopped.

She slowly turned to see why. It happened fast. A monster of some kind rose out of the bushes. It was tall and had a green tint to its skin. It was covered in slime too. It looked like a snake with tentacles growing out of its back and arms with hand like a persons. It swung its tail and sent Rueh and Dete flying with a cry. Rueh hit the ground and rolled back to her feet. Dete landed within a clump of bushes at the clearings edge.

 Cassandra ran forward drawing her sword as she did. She attacked the creature. It turned to her and swung its tail under her feet knocking her off balance. It turned and grabbed Rueh's foot with a tentacle.

"Put me down!" she snapped flailing her arms and legs to get loose but to no avail. She continued to struggle as Cassandra struggled with the tentacles wrapping around her arms, legs, waist, and neck.

Rueh had finally had enough…the creature hissed angrily as her teeth sunk into the tentacle that was trying to wrap around her arms. It tried to pull the tentacle away from her but she wouldn't let go for nothing.

Cassandra choked when the tentacle around her neck tightened and spots appeared before her eyes. The creature pulled her closer and something sharp pricked the back of her neck. She began to struggle even more when things started spinning. The creature waved a hand in front of her face. She could barely make it out as things began to fade to darker colors. She saw a tentacle hit the back of Rueh's head then she was still. The drug then caused Cassandra's consciousness to fade completely…

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It was late evening when Sephiroth got back to the villa. Inside everything was dark. No lights were on. Frowning some he tied the chocobos reins to a post outside the shed and cautiously walked toward the building. He had his hand on the door knob when he remembered that they were going to the clearing in the woods today. That's probably where they were. 

He went back to the chocobo and mounted. He set a steady pace for the chocobo as they went to the clearing. 

Everything was quiet when he got there. Too quiet. He looked around as he dismounted the chocobo. It warked softly. He put his hand on the side of its head to pet it then moved away from it drawing his sword. 

He was walking to the center when his foot hit something lying on the ground. He looked down. It was Cassandra's unsheathed sword. He looked around the clearing when he heard something moving. 

"Who's there?" he called looking around. He walked backwards after picking up her sword. The grass was flattened in places. It looked like a struggle had taken place. "Cassandra?" he called out her name thinking that she was nearby. "Come out now. If this is a joke it's not very funny." 

But no one answered except for the moving of leaves on a nearby bush. He walked over to it and peeked through the leaves. "Dete!" he pushed the bushes apart and knelt in front of her. She looked up at him but then was unconscious. He looked around the clearing again. "Cassandra! Rueh!" but he didn't get an answer.

He carefully picked Dete up. He went back to the chocobo and mounted. He kicked the chocobo into a run and turned it towards the villa. When he reached it all the lights inside were on. He pulled the chocobo to an abrupt stop then nudged it into a walk as he entered the back yard. He put it in the shed and still carrying Dete went inside the villa.  

The inside of the villa was a mess. Apparently someone or something had been looking for something. He went into his and Cassandra's bedroom and laid Dete down. He noticed 2 empty places on the bookshelf. Two books were gone. He scanned the bookshelf but Dete's soft groan made him turn his attention to her.

"Dete?" he asked softly. Her eyes opened and focused on him. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Rueh and me were playing…then there was a monster of some kind…it hit me and Rueh but I didn't see anything else," she said.

"What did the monster look like?" he asked moving her hair away from the bump on the side of her head. She told him what it looked like. "I've never seen a monster like that before," he said when she finished.

"To me…well…it kinda looked like…him…" she said in a small voice.

"Him…?" Sephiroth slowly shook his head. "It can't be. Did he ever transform in front of you before?"

Dete nodded. Sephiroth looked at the 2 empty spaces on the bookshelf. "Why don't you just rest Dete…I think I need to call Vincent Valentine and Red," he said standing up from where he sat on the edge of the bed looking at the spaces still. 

Dete looked up at him. "It was Hojo wasn't it?"

"It was..."

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A scream echoed around the lab like room. Hojo smirked as he flipped through the pages of a book. He simply ignored Cassandra's struggle to get loose from the bonds that held her in place as mako was injected into her veins.

"Everything is going according to plan…"

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	3. chapter 3

(Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! Okay…here's chapter 3! I hope you all enjoy it and I'll try to update again soon but I've got 3 stories going at one time so it might be every other day…I'll try for everyday though…anyways…enjoy!)

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Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Dete and Cassandra are. Rueh belongs to Rueh.

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**Chapter 3**

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"Are you sure it was Hojo?" Vincent asked. He, Red, and Sephiroth were sitting in the living room of the villa. Dete was still sleeping since it was nearing midnight.

"It sure sounds like it. From what Dete told you of the transformation it is him. We knew he could transform and he did when we fought him but he wasn't killed or if he was, he was able to…pull himself back together again," Red said looking at Sephiroth.

"It sure seems that way. And he has Cassandra and Rueh. We need to find them before he starts any of his experiments," Sephiroth said.

"Shall I call the other members of Avalanche?" Vincent asked.

"No. We can handle Hojo ourselves," Sephiroth said.

"But with finding them. Hojo could be hiding anywhere," Red said.

"There are a few places he could be. One would be the remains of the Shinra building in Midgar. Or they could be somewhere in the main complex in Junon," Sephiroth pointed out. "Those places would be the best for him to keep Cassandra and Rueh under control and to do experiments."

"Very well. Are we going to check those places?" Vincent asked.

"It's worth a try," Red said.

"But with all the monsters in Midgar we'll more than anything need more than just the 4 of us," Vincent said.

"Four of us?" Sephiroth looked at him sharply. "Who said anything about Dete going with us?"

"You can't possibly mean to leave her here by herself," Vincent said.

"Again, who said she would be by herself? I guess I have to agree with you about the group needed to get into Midgar but we don't need _every _member of Avalanche to go with us. The last time they talked I overheard Cassandra and Tifa's phone call and found out that Tifa was pregnant. That was 3 years ago though. So someone would have to stay behind to watch the 3 year old boy. They can watch Dete as well," Sephiroth said.   

"But I should go with you. After all I was able to sense where you and mom were. So was Rueh but she's not here. I could be of help to you," Dete said from where she stood in the doorway. Her sudden comment made them jump. They hadn't noticed her. Sephiroth turned to look at her.

"And what if Hojo catches you and we are not able to get you back before he escapes?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"As long as you were trying to keep him from getting away you would have some of his attention and I would also be fighting to get away so put simply he would have his hands full with trying to keep you busy enough to get away and to keep a hold of me," she said.

"And if you were knocked out and couldn't do what you just said? Dete?"

For a moment her eyes closed halfway and got a glazed look to them. She swayed and started to fall over but came out of her dazed state in time to stop herself. "…would you really let Hojo escape with me after what he's doing now?" she asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked walking over to kneel in front of her.

"I don't know…it was just a glimpse of a room and a sick feeling…a lot of pain…like I was in someone else's body…" she shook her head.

"What did the room look like? Could you tell who you were seeing through?" he asked.

"One question at a time please…first. I couldn't see what the room looked like…it was too dark or they were losing consciousness. Your second question…no I couldn't tell," she said.

Sephiroth looked down and took a deep breath. "Go back to sleep. We'll be going to Nibelheim in the morning," he said.

"And I will go to Midgar with you all after that?"

"…I'll think about it. Now go to bed," he said. She looked at him for a moment then turned and went back to her bedroom. "She's not going with us," he said when she could no longer be seen.

"It's for the best that she stay behind but I have to say that she could be helpful," Red said.

"I know. We better get some rest as well," Sephiroth said turning to Vincent and Red. 

Vincent stood up. "We've got a room at the Inn. We'll meet back here in the morning," he said walking towards the door. Red followed after him.

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Dete stayed up after they left looking out the window in her bedroom. She slowly shook her head. She looked to the closed door when she felt Sephiroth stop outside of it.

"Bed. Now," he said.

Reluctantly she looked back out the window for a moment then went to her bed. "Happy now?" she asked.

"Just sleep Dete. We'll talk in the morning," he said and put his hand on the door.

Dete had only sat down for a second before sleep claimed her. Sephiroth opened the door and covered her with the blanket. "You'll be mad but that sleep spell is for the best," he said quietly.

She stirred for a moment and muttered something before being still again. He glanced out the window then left the room.

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	4. chapter 4

(Author's Note: Hello! I was thinking about this story and it might end up being less than 10 chapters…unless I get some ideas…*hint hint*…anyways…here is chapter 4! Enjoy!)

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Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Dete, Cassandra, and Salazar are. (You'll find out who he is) Rueh belongs to Rueh…(hopefully…you never know about those aliens…) (don't worry I'm just a little crazy right now…why you might ask? Well…I…*shrug*…don't know…^_~ )

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**Chapter 4**

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"So…we're going to Midgar first?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth nodded and looked to where Dete was still sleeping on the couch in the living room of Cloud and Tifa's house.

"Don't worry about her. She'll be kept busy playing with Salazar. I'll make sure she's all right while you're gone," Tifa said.

"She's under a sleep spell right now so she might be in a bad mood when she wakes up," he said.

"Don't worry about it," Tifa said.

"Well the Highwind is just outside of town. Are we ready?" Cid asked.

"Let's go," Sephiroth said turning towards the door.

They walked to the outskirts of the town and boarded the Highwind. Cid got the airship off the ground and they started on their way to Midgar.

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Tifa looked to the couch when Dete muttered in her sleep.

"…no…wrong way…not there…"

She shrugged it off and turned to play with her son Salazar.

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"Man we really need to clean this place up," Barret said as he stepped around a pile of rubble.

"We?" Cid said.

"Well why not? WE could be the ones who rebuild this place and make it better than it was," Barret said with a shrug.

"All right if you like a lot of work fine," Cid said.

"Quiet!" Sephiroth snapped looking back over his shoulder at them.

They group walked in silence. They had yet to be attacked by any monsters that lived in the ruins of the city.

"So where exactly would they be?" Cloud asked after awhile.

"I have no idea but why don't we try the Shinra tower since that is where Hojo's lab was," Sephiroth said dully as if that answer should have been obvious.

No one said anything else as they walked through the rubble covered streets. It was a few hours later that they finally stopped for a break.

"We should have been there by now," Vincent said.

"With all this rubble we're being slowed down," Red said with what looked like a frown.

"The monsters too," Yuffie said. She had been silent ever since they had entered the city.

They were all quiet for a few minutes after that. Suddenly part of a nearby building collapsed. They all jumped because until then the entire city had been silent. Dust and debris flew in all directions. They put their arms in front of their faces to protect themselves. After all the dust settled they looked around.

"Uh-oh…" Yuffie said. They were surrounded by a pack of Bandersnatches. "They don't live around here do they?"

"No but with all the destruction here and other monsters why not? They'd have plenty to eat and right now it looks like their hungry," Cloud said.

The Bandersnatches growled and stepped towards the trapped group. They readied their weapons for the up coming fight. The Bandersnatches leapt into motion at the same time. They pounced at the group. The group ran forward to meet the attack.

 It didn't take long for the fight to come to a close. Everyone looked around when it was done to see if anyone was in need of a cure spell.

"We should be moving on now. With all that racket more monsters are likely to come this way," Sephiroth said starting to walk towards the ruins of the Shinra building that could barely been seen.

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It was some time before Dete woke up. Now she just sat on the couch glaring out the window thinking of ways to get back at Sephiroth for the use of the sleep spell. They were in Midgar and had just finished a fight against a bunch of monsters. She shrugged and returned her thoughts to plotting against Sephiroth. When they found Rueh she'd have to tell her too…

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Once they had reached the Shinra building they had broken up into pairs to search the building. Every once in awhile they were hear a yell and the sound of fighting then laughing from the other person. Some one had just opened a closed door and been jumped at by a monster. That person would then hear laughter coming from other places in the building. They were being laughed at and the bad thing was that Yuffie was the only girl there…her yell was quite identifiable. It took them hours to search the entire building from top to bottom but they did. 

Once that was done they began the long trek back to the Highwind. They got there with only a few monster encounters and after more searching found edible food. They spent the night on the Highwind.

The next morning they all rose at different times. Sephiroth was the first one up after having a sleep with troubled dreams. _'That in which hides in the shadows is your enemy, but that in which hides in the darkness is not.' _ That same legend had been mentioned in his dreams. He shook his head when Vincent was the first to join him.

Red was next. It took the 3 of them to wake Yuffie, Cid, and Barret. But it took every single one of them to wake Cloud. Finally they did.

"So where to now?" Cid asked. Everyone looked at each other. 

"How about Junon?" Sephiroth finally broke the silence. They all agreed.

"All right. To Junon it is," Cid said heading for the control room.

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_'So…going to Junon now? I see my dreams didn't work…' _a smirk slowly spread across her face. _'Guess I'll have to try something else…and I know the perfect hiding place…'_

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Hojo looked into the metal cylinder. So far his experiment was working. Cassandra floated inside it unconscious and suspended by the unfiltered mako. He turned to where Rueh sat in a cell with a glass wall to see through in the front. She sat in the farthest corner with her knees brought up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. 

"If only looks could kill…" he said with a smirk.

Rueh glared death at him even more.

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	5. chapter 5

(Author's Note: Hey…I'm running out of ideas for this story…I thought I had it planned out but…I don't. If anyone has any ideas at all please leave them in your review or e-mail them to me. I'll look over them and then decide what to do next in the story! Thanks! Enjoy chapter 5!)

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Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Dete and Cassandra are. Rueh belongs to Rueh…

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**Chapter 5**

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Junon was in better shape than it had been the group surmised as they left the Highwind and entered the city. The water didn't look as polluted as it had been and there were more, better houses that had been built. 

The group made their way to the biggest building in the city. The Junon Training Center that belonged to Shinra.

It wasn't hard for them to get in. Once in they spilt up in into groups of 2 or 3 and began to search the place. 

Halfway through the building they had met up again. They were about to continue the search when Cloud's PHS rang. He answered.

"Hello? Cloud Strife here."

"Cloud it's me," the voice on the other end said with a worried tone.

"What's wrong Tifa?" he asked. They others looked at him sharply.

"She's gone! I can't find her anywhere!" Tifa said starting to get a panicked tone to her voice.

"What? Who's gone?" he said. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed.

"Dete! I can't find her! I've looked all over!"

Cloud stopped and looked at Sephiroth. "Cloud?" Tifa asked. "Did you hear me?"

"I heard you Tifa. When was the last time you saw her?" he asked.

"Last night when she went to bed," Tifa said.

"All right. We'll finish up here real quick then we'll get back to Nibelheim…"

"No." Sephiroth's voice was quiet. Everyone looked at him. "We go to Nibelheim now," he said.

"We're doing something else at the moment…or do you not want our help?" Cloud snapped.

"_I never asked for _your _help!"_

"Then why did you show up at my house and tell me of _your _problems?"

"Because they…" Sephiroth looked at Vincent and Red, "…thought that it would be best if we had more in a group to search and help fight if it came to that!"

"In any case you started this so now we're going to finish it!" Cloud said. "Just relax Tifa we'll be there later," Cloud said into the PHS. She said something to him then they hung up.

"I left Dete at your house with the reassurance that she would be kept safe in case anything should happen…but I guess I was wrong and now Hojo probably has her along with Cassandra and Rueh," Sephiroth said fighting to control the urge to strangle Cloud.

"He might but then again he might not. We'll finish here then go back," Cloud said.

"Fine you stay here and look around. I'm taking the Highwind and going back," Sephiroth said.

"Now hold on…" Cid said but stopped at the look Sephiroth gave him. Now was not a good time to argue with him. "Well if he takes the Highwind he takes me too," he said turning to Cloud.

Cloud growled in frustration. "Do you want our help or not Sephiroth?"

"I never asked for it. You just decided to come along on your own," he said turning towards a hall that would lead him to the closest exit. No one followed him except for Cid, Vincent, and Red.

They had reached the exit when Cloud and the others finally caught up. Not a word was said as they boarded the Highwind and it turned to the direction of Nibelheim.

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Dete looked around as she poked her head out of her hiding place. No one was in sight. She quietly left her hiding place and turned to the old mansion. She walked up to the gates and found them unlocked. She pushed them open and went to the front door. She hadn't wanted to go in here but her curiosity got the best of her.

She pushed the door open and it closed silently behind her. Clouds of dust swirled around her feet as she walked around exploring the first room to her left.

Finding nothing interesting there she went to the room that was to the right of the entrance. Nothing there either. 

This time she went upstairs instead of looking through the room at the end of the hall. She looked at the floor and began to follow what looked like the trail of something being dragged across the floor. She went to the right and down another short hall and found a one person bedroom. She followed the trail to where it disappeared into it. She frowned then turned and went to explore the room at the other end of the hall deciding to come back to this room later. 

She walked to the middle of the new room and looked around. Before she could get a good look at anything the floor boards underneath her suddenly gave way. 

She let out a sharp cry and found herself falling into the darkness below. The impact with the cold earth completed the darkness…

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The Highwind landed and Sephiroth was the first one off. He walked right into Cloud and Tifa's house with the others trying to catch up with him. 

"Where is she?" he asked Tifa already knowing the answer.

"I don't know," she said.

He turned to look out the window at the town.  Red had a thoughtful look then went back outside. He began to sniff the ground.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about your sense of smell!" Yuffie said. "Smell anything?"

Everyone turned their attention to Red. He walked around smelling the street just outside the door then walked a few feet up the street.

He shook his head and sat down. His tail flicked back and forth. "Too many people have already walked over her scent. I can't tell them apart very well," he said looking at them.

"So she walked out of the house…can you tell which direction she might have gone?" Sephiroth asked with a feeling of annoyance at the back of his mind. _'You left on purpose didn't you?'_ he could almost hear her giggling.

"Well…her scent seems to be in the direction of the mountains…" Red looked unsure.

"It could take us forever to find her there!" Tifa said.

Sephiroth closed his eyes in thought. _'Now if I was a 10 year old girl and wanted revenge what would I do? Hmm…well…I'd probably hide…but where?'_

"Well maybe you could get her scent if we walked the mountain path for a few minutes?" Vincent suggested.

"That might work," Red said.

They all walked to where the beginning of the path. Red walked around trying to catch Dete's scent but was having a difficult time. Sephiroth glanced around when Red shook his head and turned to face them.

It was then he noticed the gate to the old Shinra mansion was open…

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	6. chapter 6

(Author's Note: Hello! Well…here's chapter 6…Rueh gave me an idea and I'm going to do it so this story will have more to come…anyways…enjoy!)

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Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Dete and Cassandra are. Rueh is Rueh's…

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**Chapter 6**

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"Maybe we should go up the path a little more? Hardly anyone goes up there," Vincent said looking at Sephiroth.

"We could…" Sephiroth trailed off. Red and Vincent followed his gaze.

"It's worth a try to look there," Red said.

"Who would go there? No one's been in there since we found Vincent," Cloud said.

Sephiroth ignored him. He was thinking. "Red…see if you can find her scent around the gate," he said.

Red nodded and walked over to the gate with the others following him. He sniffed the ground. He shook his head and pulled back. "Her scent is here…along with someone else's," he said turning to Sephiroth.

He nodded. "Thought so. She forgot to close the gate. Now all we have to do is go in and find her…but someone else too…?" Sephiroth trailed off again and quickened his pace towards the door of the mansion.

"Hold on just a minute," Cloud said catching up to him.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes in annoyance. "What now?"

"You've led us on a wild goose chase thus far. I'm not going any farther," Cloud said.

"Fine. Those of you who have had enough go back to Cloud's house. Those who wish to continue into the mansion can stay with me," Sephiroth said and opened the door. He walked inside followed by Red, Vincent, and Yuffie.

Cloud shrugged and went back to his house with Cid and Barret.

"She could be anywhere," Yuffie said looking around.

Red sneezed. "Too much dust for me to find her scent," he said.

"Maybe if we just follow her footprints?" Vincent said.

Sephiroth was already going up the stairs. The others followed. They stopped when the hall split.  "Yuffie go check that room," he said pointing down the right hall.

She walked down to the door and looked around the room. "Nothing but hole in the floor," she said going back to them.

"What about the foot prints?" Sephiroth asked.

"They went up to the hole but…" Sephiroth pushed past her and went to the doorway. "Open the basement door!" he said as he started back to them.

They went ahead of him and opened the door. They let him go first as they descended the steps. Next went Red then Yuffie who was followed by Vincent. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Sephiroth looked around.

"What, besides Cassandra, Rueh, and Dete, are we looking for?" Red asked.

"Her footprints stopped at the hole in the floor if that answers your question," Sephiroth said.

They walked down the hall.

"Check in here," Vincent said as they passed a door in the hallway.

"It's locked," Yuffie said.

"Try this," he said holding up a key.

"Okay," she said and unlocked the door. She gave the key back to him and pushed the door open. "Hey it's the room with all the coffins!"

"Of course it is. You should know that. You've been here before," he said.

"Oh yeah…" she said but fell quiet.

Sephiroth looked around the room and stopped. He ran to one of the coffins. He knelt next to where Dete lay still unconscious. He put his hand on her shoulder and shook her. "Dete?" he asked thinking that she might wake up then. 

She didn't so much as stir. He moved her onto her back and sat her up. "Dete?" he asked again a little louder. This time she let out a soft groan. After a second she opened her eyes. 

"Hey," he said. She didn't say anything. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"…you left me behind! AND you completely ignored my dreams!" she said. 

"Your…dreams…what do you mean? We'll go back to Cloud and Tifa's and talk about this. And make sure you're all right," he said standing and picking her up.

"PUT ME DOWN!"

"Hush Dete," he said going back to where Vincent, Red, and Yuffie waited in the doorway.

_'He won't listen to me. Do something!'_

_'Like what?'_

'_I don't know! Scream or something!'_

_'Ooooo…can I yell at Hojo?'_

_'What's stopping you?'_

They were almost to the stairs when an angry voice began yelling. Dete grinned and shook her head. Sephiroth and the others stopped and turned to look back down the hall.

Dete used this to her advantage. While he was distracted she wiggled and jumped to the floor.

"Hey!" he said and tried to grab her arm. He missed.

She ran down the hall and he gave chase. Vincent, Red, and Yuffie following. Red passed Sephiroth and then Dete. He stopped in front of her.

Another voice began yelling along with the first. Dete hopped over Red. He stood up on his hind legs suddenly causing her to lose her balance. She stumbled into the door, hitting her head again and pushed it open. Sephiroth caught her before she fell.

He looked around the room. It was like a lab. There were machines everywhere and a glowing green substance he recognized as mako. The metal cylinder caught his attention.

"Cassandra…" he said seeing her floating inside of it. The yelling had stopped. They found that Rueh had been the source of it…Hojo as well. "Red…get Dete out of here," Sephiroth said slowly standing.

"I told you to let me help but no…you didn't listen to me…" her eyes slipped closed. Vincent took her from Sephiroth and placed her on Red's back so she wouldn't fall off as he slowly backed to the door then ran for the stairs. He would take her back to Cloud and Tifa's.

Vincent and Yuffie stood in front of the doorway. He readied the Death Penalty while she held her Conformer in front of her in a ready position. Sephiroth drew the masamune.

"Well look who it is," Hojo said looking at the 3 in front of him. "You know you caused them to come down here," he turned to Rueh who was in the cell with a glass door. She just stuck her tongue out.

"You've been in Nibelheim the whole time…" Sephiroth said moving towards the cylinder and Cassandra.

"Yes you should have listened to Dete…But I'm glad you didn't. It gave me time to think of my plans…" Hojo got an evil smile.

The glass of the cylinder door shattered as masamune hit it. The mako rushed out onto the floor. Cassandra slumped out. Sephiroth caught her and held her against him. "Cassandra?" he asked softly. She gave a slight groan but that was all.

"As I was saying I have thought my plans through so now if you'll excuse me…" Hojo started.

"You aren't going anywhere," Yuffie said as Vincent aimed his gun at Hojo's forehead.

"Oh I'm sorry but I don't have time to deal with you," Hojo said.

"Yuffie get Rueh," Sephiroth said laying Cassandra down out of the way. He suddenly ran at Hojo with his sword ready.

A tentacle burst from Hojo's back and shot at him. Vincent shot it.

As they fought Yuffie opened the cell door and let Rueh out. Rueh ran for Hojo and jumped on his back, locking her arms around his neck, choking him. 

He yelled and grabbed her with a tentacle. He pulled her off and threw her into the wall next to the door. She slid to the floor. 

Sephiroth charged Hojo. Hojo just laughed. A flash of bright light shot out from him. Yuffie, Vincent, and Sephiroth had to shield their eyes until the light was gone.

When they opened their eyes Hojo was gone…and so was Rueh. Sephiroth stared at the door for a minute then picked Cassandra up. 

"We'll go back…and try to figure out what happened. Once Dete wakes up we'll be able to find Rueh again," he said.

Yuffie and Vincent silently followed him from the mansion. When they got there Dete was waking up.

"Can you find Rueh?" Vincent asked as Sephiroth sat down with Cassandra in his lap.

Dete closed her eyes for a minute then shook her head. "No…nothing…"

"Maybe she's still unconscious. Try again later," Sephiroth said trying to wake Cassandra without success.

                                    ****


	7. chapter 7

(Author's Note: Well…Rueh's going on vacation so…there is one chapter coming up that she is going to write but she might be gone when I get to it…so if that happens this story will be on hold for awhile or at least until she gets back…just to let you know…enjoy chapter 7!)

****

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh…Dete and Cassandra are mine though…

****

**Chapter 7**

****

                                    -1 week later-

Cassandra stirred then slowly let her eyes open. Everything was spinning and blurring together. The voice above her was making the pounding in her head worse. The blackness she had been in was better than this. She started to close her eyes again but a soft green light surrounded her. A tingling sensation spread through her but it was comforting. Slowly things stopped spinning and her headache lessened.

"Cassandra?" the voice called softly to her.

"Sephiroth…?" Everything focused and she was able to see his face clearly.

"Hey…are you all right?" he asked putting a hand on the side of her face.

"I think so…where's Rueh and Dete?" she asked suddenly sitting up. That was a bad idea. She fell to the side and he wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling over. She rested her head on his chest.

"Dete's fine. She wasn't caught by Hojo. I found her and called Vincent and Red. We came here, to Nibelheim, next. I left Dete here and went to Midgar with everyone but Tifa to see if you had been taken there. Not finding you we then went to Junon. That's when Dete went missing. We came back here and found her in the basement of the Shinra mansion. That's where you've been the entire time…" he explained.

"What about Rueh? You told me that Dete's fine…so what about her?" Cassandra asked.

"Rueh…well…when we went…Hojo got away…"

"Where is she?"

"…with Hojo…"

"Why? How come if the others were with you…"

"Vincent, Red, and Yuffie were the only ones who went into the mansion with me. The others had had enough and refused to do more searching. Dete took a nasty fall in the mansion…that's how we found her in the basement. She woke up and Rueh started yelling from the other room. Dete got away from me and ran down there. We were almost to the stairs. Red tripped her and she hit her head again. So he was getting her out of the mansion while I got you and Yuffie freed Rueh. Vincent and me were fighting Hojo…Rueh got knocked out. There was a flash of light and Hojo and Rueh were gone," Sephiroth explained hurriedly.

"…none of the others would help you…we're still in Nibelheim?" she asked.

"Yes…what…?"

"Where are they?"

"I'll…umm…call them…" Sephiroth called to the others. After a minute they were all in the room. Dete got up on the bed and sat beside Cassandra.

Cassandra's head was bowed and her hair hid her face from view. Sephiroth could feel her shaking though…_'Uh-oh…'_

She slowly looked up. "Red, Vincent, Yuffie…it sounds like you did what you could to help…but as for the rest of you…" Sephiroth winced and let go of Cassandra to cover Dete's ears.  She gave him a strange look as Cassandra went on yelling.

He shook his head. Cassandra's yelling last for about 3 minutes. When she was done she collapsed back into Sephiroth, who let go of Dete. No one spoke for awhile after that.

When the silence was broken it was by Cloud. "We were just tired of going on a wild goose chase and the idea of Dete going into the mansion didn't sound right so we didn't want to. She knew she wasn't supposed to go in there."

"Don't you even start blaming this on Dete," Cassandra growled. "You should know that Rueh and Dete both do things that they shouldn't, so you shouldn't have been surprised to find out that she knew exactly what to do to get you to come back here. You should have realized that that was where she was…"

"But…" Cloud started.

"…Sephiroth should have listened to her but even if he had…it might have ended like this…BUT Cloud…if you and the others who weren't there had been there it might not have turned out like this!"

"But now you listen," Cloud snapped.

"I'm sorry did you say something? Dete can you tell where Rueh is?" Cassandra completely ignored Cloud.

Dete shook her head. "No…I can't sense her at all…"

"Can we go back to Costa Del Sol? She could be anywhere but I want to get away from him…" Cassandra told Sephiroth quietly.

He nodded and stood up. He helped Cassandra up. "We'll be in Costa Del Sol if you hear or see anything about Rueh," he said and left the room helping Cassandra. Dete followed. 

"Oh let them go…they're stubborn," Cloud mumbled to himself. 

                                    ****

His laughter echoed around her. She shook her head trying to clear it. His voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yes Rueh…they left you behind…" he started laughing again.

_'That can't be true…but then why can't I sense Dete? Or them…?' _everything went black…

                                    ****


	8. chapter 8

(Author's Note: Hey…sorry that this is a little short…and boring(?) too…anyways…here's chapter 8! Enjoy!)

****

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh and Dete is mine. So is Cassandra… 

****

**Chapter 8**

****

-6 months later-

"I'm sorry Cassandra…we've searched everywhere I can think of," Vincent said softly.

Cassandra bowed her head. "It's…its all right…we'll find her soon," she said. Sephiroth walked up behind her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the other around her waist.

"We will. You 2 have been a big help to us. Just keep an eye out for her," he said. 

Dete stood with her back to the room looking out the window. They turned to see her when she spoke. "That in which hides in the shadows is your enemy, but that in which hides in the darkness is not…this shall come to pass I fear…"

"Dete?" Red asked tilting his head to the side a bit.

"You questioned if me and Rueh were Creta…I'll answer your questions now…yes we are Creta but not by much," she said still looking out the window. There was a storm in the sky that was getting ready to start.

"How are you Creta?" Cassandra asked.

"Because you are half…and that makes us half of that." Dete turned to face her.

"I'm half Creta?" Cassandra asked confused.

"Yes," Dete said.

"So what about the rest of you? Are you just human?" Sephiroth asked.

Dete shook her head. "No. We are only half human. Just like the 2 of you. But what is left…" she gave a slight laugh. "What is left of us doesn't even belong to this planet."

"Jenova?"

"Hardly. We are better than that…"

"Then what is it?" Vincent asked.

"Hmm…maybe I shouldn't tell that just yet…I have a feeling that you'll know soon enough," Dete looked thoughtful.

"Oh come on! You said you'd answer our questions," Sephiroth pleaded.

"I didn't say I'd answer all of them," Dete said in a sing-song voice. He grumbled. "But…"

"But what?" Red asked.

"…teach me to fight," she said.

"What? Why?" Cassandra asked.

"Something's wrong. I can no longer sense Rueh…and Hojo has her…maybe it's just a bad feeling but I think something will happen soon…and if we're not prepared…" she turned to look out the window again.

"But can't you fight already?" Vincent asked.

"I can but not like I'll have to…later…" she cried out when there was a crash of thunder from the storm and ran to Sephiroth and Cassandra.

"She doesn't like storms," Sephiroth told Red and Vincent who had confused looks.

"Well. We better go. We'll keep an eye out for any sign of Rueh or Hojo," Vincent said heading towards the door. He opened it for Red and they left.

"Calm down Dete," Cassandra soothed. Sephiroth turned his attention to both of them after the door closed.

                                    ****

"They…didn't…leave…me…behind…you…monster…" she struggled to speak. 

Hojo only laughed at her. "Poor Rueh. They did leave you behind with me. They took your sister home but not you…" he shook his head.

"No…that's not…true…"

"Really? Are you sure you believe that?" He tilted his head to one side. 

"Leave me…alone…they'll find me…" her head was spinning and spots danced in front of her eyes.

Hojo shook his head again. "No they won't. They don't care what happens to you," he said.

"…lair…"

"Oh do you really believe that? That's really too bad. I could help you…"

"…STAY AWAY FROM ME! I've had enough of you…"

"There's nothing you can do…" his voice faded into the darkness that surrounded her.

                                    ****

"Finally asleep?" Sephiroth asked as Cassandra sat down on the couch next to him.

"Yeah. What should we do?" she asked.

"Teach her to fight better. What harm could come from that?" he asked with a shrug.

"True but…about all of this…Hojo and Rueh?"

"I don't know. He could be anywhere…really we can only wait for him to surface again," he said with a frown.

"…me being a half Creta…that doesn't make sense. Aeris could hear the planet. Why can't I then?" She shook her head and sighed.

"Maybe you're not listening hard enough?" Sephiroth had a thoughtful look.

"That could be…but it just doesn't seem right that I'm half Creta. And I wonder what other being Dete was talking about? She wouldn't answer us about it," Cassandra said.

"I'm guessing that we'll find out in time. Now. Why don't you go get ready for bed? You need to relax," he said.

"Oh fine…" she grumbled as she stood and walked towards the bedroom. Sephiroth looked at the 2 books on the table that they had gotten back. After a minute he shook his head and stood. He went to the bedroom.

                                    ****


	9. chapter 9

(Author's Note: Hey…here's chapter 9…enjoy!)

****

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh. Dete is mine.

****

**Chapter 9**

****

                                    -6 ½ years later…7 years total have passed-

"Excellent…now we must test your strength…"

                                    ****

"There!"

"Well done. I think it was a good idea to have Vincent teach you how to use a hand gun. You've done well with it," Sephiroth said with his hand on his hips as he watched Dete.

 She grinned and straightened. "And you and mom taught me how to use a sword. How am I doing with that?" she asked putting her hand gun in its holster.

"We'll find out," he said drawing the masamune.

Cassandra sat to the side watching them. Vincent walked up behind her and then sat down beside her.

"She's doing well," he said.

"Yeah…it's been 7 years…and still no sign of Rueh," she sighed.

"We've looked and done everything we could think of to find them. Dete hasn't been able to sense her since they were separated. I don't know what else to do," he bowed his head.

"It's not your fault. I blame Cloud and the others that wouldn't help Sephiroth."

Vincent nodded. "But really you shouldn't blame them either. If you blame anyone blame Hojo," he said.

"I guess you're right but…"

"What's wrong?" he asked. Her eyes had gotten wider and her face had paled.

"Do you feel that?" she asked in a whispery voice.

"Feel what?" he asked slowly.

Sephiroth and Dete stopped fighting and looked past the town out onto the plains towards the mountains in the distance. Cassandra was looking in the same direction.

Dete dropped her sword and took a few steps back. "Impossible…so much power…but what for?" she shook her head slowly.

Vincent felt it now too. He and Cassandra stood up. "Who is it? Who is gathering all this power?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sephiroth said slowly.

The power they felt kept rising. After a minute it leveled off. Without warning they felt yet didn't feel it explode. Everything started shaking. 

"It's a shock wave!" Cassandra exclaimed.

They staggered trying to keep their balance but in the end lost it and ended up sitting on the ground.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Dete said softly.

Vincent's PHS started to ring. "Hello?"

"Vincent? It's Red. What just happened?" Red asked.

"That's we're wondering. Have any ideas?" Vincent asked as he stood up. Sephiroth helped Dete and Cassandra up.

"No…but it felt like a giant explosion. What do you think it was?" Red asked.

"A shockwave from an explosion like you say," Vincent said.

"I'll try to figure out where it came from and then let you know…Vincent? What just happened?" Red asked.

"Something's wrong with Dete!" Vincent answered.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She just collapsed. Call back when you've figured this out okay?"

"Sure," Red and Vincent hung up.

Sephiroth had caught Dete before she had hit the ground. "Is it possible that Rueh had something to do with this maybe?" he asked looking at Cassandra.

"That could be but…it doesn't make sense," she said.

"Anyways let's get her inside. Red said he would call back if he found anything," Vincent said. They went inside. Sephiroth laid Dete on the couch. Cassandra sat on the floor next to her. Vincent took up his position by the window and Sephiroth sat down in his chair. They waited only a few minutes before Dete woke up.

She sat up fast and looked around.

"Dete? What's wrong?" Cassandra asked.

"…she's mad…very mad…"

"Who?" Sephiroth asked.

"Rueh…she's never been this mad before," Dete took a deep breath to calm down.

The PHS rang a minute later.

"Yes?" Vincent answered it.

"I know most of what happened," Red told him.

"Okay…"

"I think it would be best if we went to the Forgotten Capital," Red didn't sound too happy.

"All right. Let's call the others and have Cid pick us up with the Highwind," Vincent hung up.

"Well?" Sephiroth asked.

"Something's happened in the Forgotten Capital," Vincent said.

                                    ****

"Well now…that worked out nicely. Now I'm sure they'll be here to investigate soon so why don't you go get ready to face them?"

"Why not indeed? It's not like they'll be a challenge or anything."

                                    ****

The group left the Highwind and went into the Sleeping Forest. They walked for sometime until they came to the Forgotten Capital…or what was left of it…

"What happened here?" Cloud asked dumbstruck.

"I think this was the source of the shockwave we felt," Red stated looking around. The place looked like a giant explosion had gone off.

"But what caused it?" Tifa asked.

"I think we're about to find out," Barret said. They all looked in the direction he was. A cloaked figure was walking towards them. The figure stopped a few feet from them and did not move.

"Who are you?" Yuffie asked warily.

The figure didn't answer.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Yuffie asked and stepped forward. Without warning a spell was released and she was thrown backwards.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth demanded as Vincent helped her up.

"You don't remember me?"

"Wha…?"

"Rueh," Dete said.

The hood of her cloak fell back. She was smirking. Her hair was longer and whiter than it had been but still had the black tipped ends. Her aqua-green eyes were darker and colder.

"So you do remember me Dete. I was wondering about that. In 7 years you haven't hardly changed," Rueh said.

"But you have. What happened to you?" Dete asked shaking her head.

Rueh snorted. "Like you would care." Her cloak was tossed aside. She wore a dark green tank top and baggy black pants. The strangest thing about her appearance was the markings on her face, neck, and arms. They were silver streaks that swirled with fire red. 

"What do you mean?" Dete asked warily. She didn't like this change Rueh had taken.

"I'm not even going to bother to explain. You wouldn't understand anyways," Rueh crossed her arms and leaned back a bit.

"…get down!" Dete yelled. None of them could get down fast enough. They were thrown backwards and knocked out.

"Nine down…one to go," Rueh smirked.

Dete shook her head and pushed herself to her knees. She looked at the others then back at Rueh. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"I've felt lots of pain these past 7 years…I'm just sharing the feeling…" Rueh held her hands out to either side of her and black light began to gather in front of her palms.

Dete pushed herself to her feet and cast the strongest barrier spells she could. Her barriers were surrounded by the black light. The light then exploded. When the dust from the explosion finally settled Rueh was the only one there.

"You can run but you can't hide," she shook her head slowly with her eyes closed.

                                    ****

The group sat up rubbing their heads and looking around. They were outside the Highwind.

"How'd we get here? And weren't we knocked out by Rueh?" Tifa asked.

"We were…is everyone all right?" Cloud asked getting up and helping her to her feet. There was a chorus of 'yeahs' from them as they got up.

"So…what happened?" Yuffie asked.

"Hush," Vincent said softly.

Sephiroth and Cassandra slowly approached the place where Dete stood. Every few seconds she shook and swayed. She had her back to them.

"Dete?" Cassandra asked softly.

"She's too strong…and angry at us…it doesn't make sense…" the light around the entire group shimmered but then it faded.

"A barrier? Dete…what happened to Rueh?" Sephiroth asked.

"She was going to finish us all…we have to stop her…" Dete fell to her knees. Sephiroth and Cassandra rushed forward and caught her before she completely collapsed.

"Let's get out of here…and think about what's going on," Cloud said turning towards the Highwind. The others agreed.

                                    ****


	10. chapter 10

(Author's Note: Hey…my computers being stupid right now so this may be the only chapter for my stories that gets posted…oh well…anyways…enjoy chapter 10!)

****

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh. Dete is mine…

****

**Chapter 10**

****

"See…they were no problem for me."

"Of course they weren't. Now come here. It's time."

                                    ****

"It's been 3 days since we had that encounter with Rueh and Dete still hasn't woke up," Cassandra sighed.

"She'll wake up on her own. What we need to worry about is what is wrong with Rueh," Sephiroth stated.

"Hojo must have done something," Red said slowly.

"That's what we need to find out," Sephiroth said.

"Well…here's my idea," Vincent spoke up. "From what we know of Rueh and Dete we know that they have a mind of their own…the only possible way to get them to do what you want would be to control them…I think that somehow Hojo found a way to control Rueh…"

"So we have to figure out how," Cloud stated.

"Right."

"It could be possible but how in the world could he keep her under his control? Wouldn't there be times that she would be back to herself?" Barret asked.

"There would…I have to agree with Barret…it doesn't sound right," Cid said.

"But that's the only logical explanation that we have…unless someone else has any ideas," They all turned to see the door to the room where Dete stood leaning against the door frame.

"You're awake!" Cassandra exclaimed.

Dete nodded. "Anyways…he's controlling her somehow…put simply…the only real way to control her would be to brainwash her."

"Hojo…brainwashed her?" Tifa asked.

"That's the only thing I can think of and Vincent was going to say that," Dete said. Vincent nodded.

"So how do we undo what Hojo's done?" Yuffie asked.

"…we'll have to face Rueh," Sephiroth spoke up.

"Yes…but we're not ready," Dete agreed.

"I guess we'll just have to get ready then won't we?" Cloud stood up and stretched as the others nodded in agreement.

                                    ****

They all started to prepare themselves that afternoon. For the next couple of weeks they worked on getting stronger. Especially Dete. The strange thing was that she was never with any of the others when she trained. She always worked by herself.

They had tried to follow her out of curiosity to find out what she was doing but when they watched her all she did was target practice with her hand gun and go through a few sword drills that Sephiroth had taught her. They gave up after that.

 They trained themselves for one month…then decided to go face Rueh and Hojo.

                                    ****

"It's about time they were ready. I was getting bored."

"Remember what I told you to do."

"Yeah whatever."

                                    ****

The Highwind landed in the same spot that it had when they went to find Rueh the first time. They walked off the airship and towards the crater that had once been the Forgotten Capital.

They got to the same place where the first encounter had taken place when Rueh met them.

"I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show up," she smirked.

"Why? You know that we would," Dete said.

"True but…whatever. To business."

"What has Hojo done to you?" Sephiroth asked.

"What do you mean? He has done nothing," Rueh looked a bit confused.

"Yes he has. You normally don't act like this," Cassandra pointed out.

"How would you know? You haven't seen me act at all for 7 years!"

"Rueh think about it…"

"What's there to think about? I've got a mission to complete while you're here so let's just get to it," Rueh snapped.

"What mission?" Cloud asked.

"Hojo's orders. Nothing you need to worry about," she replied coolly.

"Nothing good can come from Hojo," Vincent said softly.

"I don't really care. Now quit stalling and let's start this fight!" Rueh growled.

"Fine!" Barret shouted.

Everyone but Dete surrounded Rueh in a circle. She smirked as they started to attack. She dodged every one of them and delivered her own attacks. It didn't take long for Sephiroth, Cassandra, Red, Vincent, and Cloud to be the only ones still able to fight against her.

She cast a spell that left Cloud and Red unable to fight. Vincent lasted a little bit longer but was soon unable to fight as well. 

Now Rueh drew her sword. This was the first time during the fight that she had drawn her weapon. She fought Sephiroth and Cassandra at the same time and was able to stop them from hitting her with their attacks. They were reluctant to attack thus making the attacks weaker.

"Come on! Show me your best!" Rueh challenged.

After a minute Cassandra was thrown backwards. She was unable to fight now due to the cut that ran up her left arm. Sephiroth soon was on the ground next to her unable to fight as well.

"Is this all you've got?" Rueh asked.

"I'm still here," Dete spoke up and stepped forward.

"So you are. Are you going to fight me?"

"If that's what it takes to get you back to yourself."

Rueh snorted. "Fine. Shall we begin?"

Dete drew her own sword in answer.

                                    ****


	11. chapter 11

(Author's Note: oohh, so this is the chapter Juzu finally wanted me, Rueh, to write for her story. Chapter 11!)

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh (me). Dete is mine (ahh, is Juzu's)…

**Chapter 11**

Time seemed to slow down to Dete as her sword made the slow process of withdrawing from its sheath.  The sound it made was the only one that passed between the two-blood sisters, turned enemy.  The sound was deafening to Dete; she wished that look in Rueh's aqua eyes would change to the familiar happiness she remembered from childhood.  

"So my sister has some guts after all," Rueh sneered, her eyes flashed with an emotion so quickly that Dete almost thought she hadn't seen it at all; even if she had it was so quick she couldn't recognize it.  Rueh raise her chin high in defiance.  "How do you feel right now?"

Dete blinked a couple of times then shook her head in confusion.  "What?  What do you mean?"

Rueh smirked cruelly and waved her hand in a gesture to all those who had already fallen victim to her.  "How do you feel knowing you just stood back, knowing they didn't stand a chance against me, and _you _watched?"

Dete shivered.  There was mock humor and accusation written all over Rueh's face along with that iciness that made Dete's hair want to stand on end.

Dete bowed her head.  "Rueh…why?  Why are you doing this?" Dete looked back up at her sister for the answer that she'd never find in the icy depths of Rueh's angry glowing eyes.

Those eyes narrowed into cold flaming orbs that promised much pain and suffering.  Dete stifled back her sadness; she finally realized she had to view Rueh as an enemy and not a once dear friend…and sister.

"You look as if you'd like to cry," Rueh taunted.  

"Shut up Rueh," Dete growled.

"Oohh," Rueh's voice turned to that of one of pleasure.  "Good.  My idiot sister has finally seen what I truly intend to do.  Are you still going to fight me you worthless creature?"

"Worthless creature?" Dete frowned.  "You are the same as I am…"

"You're wrong!" Rueh snapped fiercely, the smirk returning to her features.  "I am better than you," she whispered.  "I am far better than you could ever be Dete.  Can't you see that, or did you not learn your lesson during our first encounter?  Which I might remind you, you ran away."

"I save their lives!"

"That's right, you did didn't you?  Why would you ever do such a thing as that?  Were they worth saving?  Where they worth your time?  They weren't of much help to you today now where they?  They are even more worthless than you my dear sister."  Rueh's eyes fell onto Sephiroth and Cassandra, for a moment her gaze seemed to soften then came back the anger twice as bad as it had been.  She snorted in disgust and returned her gaze to Dete.  "You will be the last one I kill just so that I can have the pleasure of seeing your face as they die.  They will be the first to go," she stated as fact, motioning to Cassandra and Sephiroth.

"You'd really kill your own mom and dad?  Grow up Rueh!" Dete yelled, it frightened her now to think what would happen if she really lost.  Would Rueh really go through with it and make her watch the agonizing deaths of not only all her friends…but her parents too? _'Oh gods Rueh…you're insane…'_

_'It runs in the family, didn't you know?'_

Dete inhaled sharply and looked on to Rueh very much startled.  "How-"

'There has always had a special connection between you and I…I just chose to cut it off for the reason of keeping you twits away until I was ordered to dispose of your presence.'

"STOP IT RUEH!"

Dete's yelling sparked the fighting spirit in Rueh, she was through with talking now and readied her sword in much the same pose her dad did.

Dete bit her lower lip; _this is it…no turning back now.  If I loose then everything is lost…oh how I wish she were my sister. _Dete whipped at the tears in her eyes then prepared herself for the battle at hand…


	12. chapter 12

(Author's Note: Hey all! Rueh wrote this chapter too! Yes I know the last one was a cliffhanger but…I'm going to be quiet now…anyways…enjoy!)

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh. Dete belongs to me.

**Chapter 12**

Dete made eye contact with those angry dark aqua-green eyes and refused to break it.   They circled slowly around each other, neither wanting to make the first move…sizing the other up.  

Rueh was unworried about this encounter.  Dete was right; they were the same yet…very much different.

Dete stumbled back suddenly as Rueh stopped moving all together.  The power build up she had felt a month prior began anew…it was exactly the same energy force that had destroyed the once mysterious Forgotten Capital.

Pain filled Rueh's body as her fierce energy ripped through her as if she was nothing…but such pain now wouldn't even faze her.  Not after all the '_conditioning' _Hojo had put her through.  Yes, the pain Hojo had inflicted upon her was far worse than this…

Dete gasped in horror as several places along Rueh's face, neck and arms began to bleed gruesomely.  Rueh clutched her teeth tightly together, curling her lips into a snarl; her teeth became a bloody mess as sharp canine like teeth grew down from the upper set of teeth.  In all six sharp teeth grew in on either side of her mouth each of the three sets right next to each other and becoming shorter than the ones before it as they got further back.  Rueh spat the blood from her mouth then clenched her teeth even tighter as more and more power tore into her veins.

The places bleeding on her skin ripped and the silver red stripes appeared all over and absorbed the blood she had lost.  A low feral growl came from deep within Rueh's throat as her power leveled off as it had before.

Dete was shocked to say the least at this transformation.  It had looked so painful and that look Rueh had had…Dete shook her head.  

"You are a sad sight to my eyes Rueh…" Dete stated sympathetically. 

"And you are a weakling in my sight Dete," Rueh snarled.

"There was no need for such pain and exert of energy going into that transformation."

With that she closed her eyes and a bright mist formed around her then flashed causing Rueh to have to shield her eyes.  The light was so intense and it wasn't fading; Rueh was completely blinded.  The wind picked up and blew the tie from her hair that she was helpless to stop.

Equally white hair clashed and disappeared into the light only to be seen again with the shock of the black endings.  In one powerful gush of wind the light was gone.

"You see Rueh…" Dete's voice spoke from the same area she had been standing before.

"No you TWIT!  I don't see, you blinded me remember?!" Rueh snared fiercely.  All her visions were blurry and she could barely make out Dete's form standing a short distance in front of her.

Dete watched as Rueh rubbed at her sore eyes…she hated to do that but it was the only way to keep Rueh at bay while her healing spell could take effect on the others.

Rueh finally shook off the effects and glared death at Dete for what she had done.  "You did that on purpose…" she snarled viciously.  "You'll pay…"

Dete took a step back as Rueh took a step forward then stopped.

"What the…" Rueh gasped as sudden pain seared through every fiber of her being.  The power build up started to crank up at a dangerous pace and to levels Dete had never thought possible.  "N…NO!!!" Rueh screamed in agony and clutched at her head.  "STOP IT!!!  NO MORE, PLEASE!!!"  

Dete stood in a horrible shock as Rueh's eyes flashed open to reveal yellow clashing with her dark aqua-green eyes.  Her pupils had constricted into sharp slits that no human had…it was more like that of the eyes of a cat or…a dragon.

Rueh dropped to her knees unknowingly…the pain had become too great, way more than it ever had before…her insides were burning and working in such a quick manner that they should never…the energy within was ripping her to pieces inside.

"Rueh…what's happening to you?" Dete breathed, she couldn't move…_this is horrible, what should I do?  What CAN I do?!  Rueh might kill me if I try and go near her now…yet she's in so much pain…no one was ever there for her before…oh what should I do?_

The members of AVALANCHE were finally able to get back to their feet, but stood in shock at what they were witnessing. 

Cassandra had her face buried in Sephiroth's chest, not wanting to watch her daughter suffer so much and not being able to do anything about it.  Each and every cry from Rueh was full of agonizing pain and it was tearing her up inside just as much as it was Rueh.

All Sephiroth could do was to try and to comfort Cassandra…there was nothing they could do…or was there?  His inner conscience screamed at him to help Rueh…but he had the same feeling as Dete…what could he _possibly _do for her now?

**_'You see foolish child, they don't care about you or your pain. Just look at them standing over there watching you as if you were an animal,' _**Hojo's voice hissed within Rueh's mind.

With much painful effort, Rueh focused her eyes on Dete who still stood before her.  "Please…" she gasped and tried to reach to her sister and failed as more agonizing waves rushed through her veins.

**_'Stop this ridicules fight against me…when have I ever caused you any real harm.  All the pain I put you through was for your own good, you know that.'_**

"No…leave…me…alone…"

_'She's fighting him for control,' _Dete thought in sudden realization.  Her head snapped around to Sephiroth and Cassandra.  "We have to help her before she looses again!"

Dete ran forward and knelt down next to Rueh's wrecked form.  Rueh was in too much pain at that point to notice and Hojo's harsh words rang through her head.

**_'Sweetheart, listen to me,' _**Hojo soothed Rueh's damaged mind, she was becoming increasingly weaker and if he didn't do something quick she'd loose it like all the times before…**_'Quit fighting against me and your pain will lessen…I promise.  Rueh…listen, they're going to get you while you're down, you MUST get up NOW.'_**

"So much pain…"

**_'NO!!' _**Hojo screeched causing Rueh's consciousness to snap back.  **_'That's it.  Don't let those lousy creatures defeat you, stand up and fight them.'_**

Rueh's resistance slipped way further than it had ever before and as promised…the pain lessened drastically.  There was no more fighting Hojo's order on this day.  Rueh allowed the pain to course through her body…nothing but the pain registered in her frail state of mind.

Sephiroth knelt down taking Dete's place.  He pulled Rueh's smaller body into his arms in a protective and comforting embrace and sat down.  Her body was shacking uncontrollably and he almost thought her unconscious.  Her eyes rolled unseeing as she clutched onto his leather coat desperately in pain.

The silvery red stripes that marred her skin began clouding over with blood then shone with it…every single one of them, but not bleeding.  What little tent of color she had left in her already bleached hair died away leaving it completely white and the black shone of a ravens color.

Blood started oozing from between her lips again as more razor like teeth forced their way through her tender gums. 

Sephiroth laid his hand on her forehead and focused all his mind-altering powers onto her.

**_'Ahh, son.  So you have finally come for this child of destruction_,' **Hojo's voice hissed into Sephiroth's mind. **_' She is more powerful than you could ever be and a lot harder to convince to do things.  You better get away before she tears you and everyone else out there to shreds.  She WILL listen to me now…she is recovering…and will be very tic…'_**

Rueh broke the mind link between her _'master'_ and father.  Her senses returned to her all at once and what she felt was not what she wanted.  Her father held her tightly to him; he was messing around in her head…

Rueh snarled and lashed out and viciously raking clawed fingers down his face with one hand and with the other gashed his chest with knife like marks.  Sephiroth winced and released his hold on Rueh.

"Dad!  Are you ok?" Dete asked and quickly knelt next to him; all the while Rueh made a quick maneuver taking her to her unsteady legs.

She jumped back some distance and stood still recollecting herself.  No one dared to near her now, not after what she did to Sephiroth.

**_'Do as I have ordered,' _**Hojo hissed through her ears.

"As you wish…" she whispered and closed her swirling eyes.  When they opened again they were almost purely a bloody yellow with some hints around the pupil of their original color.

"Oh my gosh dad…" Dete breathed as huge black feathery wings rose high over Rueh's head then expanded, taking up a massive amount of space.  "She's going to kill us…"


	13. chapter 13

(Author's Note: Well! It's about time that I updated this story don't you think? Anyways…these past three chapters have been written by Rueh…now that they have been posted I will start writing the next chapters…There might be an update tomorrow since I have a 3 day weekend from school…today and tomorrow being the last days…just to let you know! Enjoy chapter 13!)

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh. Dete and Cassandra are mine.

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**Chapter 13**

Looking on, heavy black armor that shone like gold covered over Rueh's chest and back, while heavy metal sabatons with the poleyn built right onto them covered around her lower legs and feet then all the way up to her knees.  Loose fitting cuisses locked onto the bottom of the fauld (chest armor) then ran down her thighs to end just under the poleyns.  Gauntlets formed over both her hands and wrist then ran right up to where the bend was for the elbows.  The pauldrons on each shoulder here just as big as the ones Sephiroth wore only hers had long spiked gardbraces all over.  Her left arm was completely armored with a lower cannon above the gauntlets, the couter over the elbow then the upper cannon between the couter and pauldron.  

The armor was unreal and looked to weigh a ton yet Rueh was able to move with ease and very little restrictions from her armor.  The black gold shone brilliantly and was trimmed elegantly with normal gold around all the edges and the beautiful carved art and symbols made into several of the plates.

She no longer had to worry about her lost hair tie as a black and gold, velvet bandanna was loosely wrapped around her head to hold her hair back.

Dete slowly shook her head and held on tighter to Sephiroth.  She knew this creature was no longer Rueh but then again…it was part of her.  Her anger had blinded her beyond control and the magnificent creature inside of her bared its ugly head to the world beyond Rueh.  She was completely transformed and not in the least bit of control.

Many things flowed through Rueh's poor, tired mind.  Her inner instincts were begging for release.  A lazy look came to her face as instinct gained an upper hand but deep down her nature was truly not evil at all.

"Rueh?" Cassandra called meekly.  She wasn't sure this being was her daughter anymore.

The creature's eyes narrowed, but not in a threatening manor…was that amusement?  

"Cassandra…" her voice was not her own and was very cold to the ears.  A light smile touched Rueh's lips.  "Mother," she stated with more warmth than any of the members of AVALANCHE thought possible.

"Rueh…is that really you?" Cassandra stammered and stood up.

Rueh's black wings folded down to her sides as she looked on at this person her inner self recognized as the woman that had given birth to her.

Cassandra started forward wanting to see if this brilliant creature really could be her daughter.

"Cassandra, NO!" Sephiroth stated in alarm as she walked past him.  He tried to move to get up but the deep cut across his chest was too much.

Rueh looked down at him with fire in her eyes then her gaze softened.  "Sephiroth…" she stated absent-mindedly.  The inner self told her… "Father."

Cassandra stopped as Rued took one steady step forward, then another.  Her gait was like no other, gracefully silent and elegant as if she had been taught how to walk in such a way.  She passed Cassandra without a second glance; her eyes were fixed on Sephiroth.  

She knelt down next to his side opposite of Dete.  She eyed Dete for a few silent seconds until a name finally formed in her child like state of mind.  "Dete…" she stated gently with a nod.  "My sister…my twin sister."  She spared Dete a few extra seconds before looking back down at the silver-haired man.

She tucked her right hand between her side and left arm.  The armored gauntlet slipped off easily then she handed to Dete.  With her small hand now uncovered from the protective armor she softly touched the claw marks across Sephiroth's cheek.

Sephiroth flinched at her touch.  She had been so cold just minutes ago and now…she was so warm.  Rueh frowned at him…there was sadness in her eyes.  She lined up her clawed hands with the marks on his face without touching him much in the same way a young child would do.

"I did this to you," she whispered.

Sephiroth didn't know what to think, what was going on in Rueh's head.  She was acting like she didn't know anything and that what she was saying came from a foggy memory.

Rueh placed the palm of her hand over his cheek.  Heat radiated from her hand onto his skin and it was surprisingly…soothing.  What little pain he felt there faded then vanished completely.  Dete was unsurprised that when Rueh's hand was removed Sephiroth's cheek was completely healed with no signs that he'd ever been hurt in the first place.

"Rueh?" she asked unsurely.

She looked up at the soft aquamarine-eyed girl; her own eyes a brilliant gold surrounded by her natural dark aquamarine.

"Are you…are you really Rueh?"  

Rueh close her eyes as a slight frown marred her features.  "In a sense I am.  I am the Rueh you knew seven years ago before my mind was shattered and my soul made angry.  My true self cannot live in this world as she is now…too much pain, sorrow, regret, anger, hatred.  She does not feel anymore.  She didn't build her power the way Hojo had instructed to do because she wanted you to kill her…to release her from all the pain that had become her life.  Hojo became angry and with the usage of the cells he injects in my body he forced on the power in a brutal manor.  He is yelling at me right now to destroy you all, but for the time he has no control over my actions so long as my inner self is at peace."

"What do you mean by 'at peace'?"

"She could no longer take anymore of Hojo's pain…it really did hurt her to claw you like that," Rueh explained looking at Sephiroth then placing her hand over his chest wounds.  "Her emotions snapped and she begged the creature…the one you see before you, me…she begged me for help as Hojo made her energy rage out of control.  As you can see…" Rueh withdrew her had from Sephiroth's now fully healed chest. "Rueh's true nature really very calm and lied back.  I can't help the way I act because I am as much her as she is me.  We are one in the same except…I have not listened to Hojo's…"  A look a pain flashed across her face.  "I have not listened to his lies."

"What just happened?" Sephiroth asked narrowing his eyes.

"Hojo's trying to hurt Rueh again; you must understand.  He hurts her he hurts me.  I-AM-RUEH."

"Rueh…" Cassandra knelt down next to Sephiroth.  "What do you mean…there can't be two of you…"

Rueh sighed and stood up.  Dete was interested in looking at the gauntlet Rueh had handed to her.  The entire inside was softly padded and lined with black velvet.  She tried it on then heard Rueh laugh softly.

"So, does it fit?" Rueh asked in amusement.

Dete quickly took it off and gave it back to her slightly embarrassed by her childishness.  Rueh relocked the piece in place over her hands then stood up with Sephiroth, Cassandra, and Dete.

"Ok...let me explain…this may be…Oh!  That's it.  We are the same.  The part of me you encountered was my pain, anger and hate.  I am what is left when those are put to peace and out of my personality…"

"Can you stay this way?" Cloud called over from his group.

Rueh stared at him blankly for the longest time.  "Obviously one of my other personalities is more acquainted with him…who is he?"

Sephiroth nearly laughed at her simple statement.  "No one of any importance."

"Sephiroth!" Cassandra scolded.  "Rueh, that's Cloud, Cloud Strife…remember?"

Rueh shook her head 'no.'

"That's Rueh for ya," Dete grinned.  "So, what about his question?  It's probably the most intelligent thing he's asked his entire life."

Rueh shook her head.  "I would be wrong to completely cut off that part of me.  I could not live as other's do because of the emotions I'd loose.  Plus, there is no true way to kill one's emotions, they're always there, and cutting off those particular abused ones would only cause a great deal of sorrow…emotions always win over all in the end.  Abuse like she got was not what Rueh needed at ten years old."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Cassandra asked softly.  Now she knew Rueh really had been abused for the past seven years and hearing her explain things in such tranquility…it was hurting her inside.

Rueh sighed.  "I can, but it would take me seven years.  You know how I was when I was younger.  Energetic, quick wit, strong, and so on.  Hojo kept me locked away from the outside world in a cell that sometimes was too small to stand up or even lay down in.  Constantly being pocked and probed at…the beatings for defiance of just simple little things.  Not being fed for days on end and your only alive because you know that either ways he wouldn't care…then there was the emotional pain.  He lied through his teeth to me for seven years.  That's why it took so long before he finally used me.  He told me you guys left me to him; you took Dete and mom and ran never giving me a second thought.  It hurt…hearing it over and over again you can't help but to start to believe it was really true."

**_'Rueh! You kill them right this instant! Obey me!!' _**Hojo screamed in Rueh's head.

_'No, you listen to me…I'm coming for ya and believe me…there is a part of me that is very angry with you and is just begging to pay you back for all the pain you have put me through.'  _The other emotion's stirred within her.  She had to concentrate to keep them down and herself in this very difficult peace of mind.  She couldn't tell them how much she was really struggling to keep from the instinct to obey Hojo's orders and to kill them.  She would not let herself slip back into the shattered remains of her own mind…if that were to happen…all would be lost and everyone she ever knew would die by her merciless hands…

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(A/N: Rueh, author of this chapter.  Well, my style of writing is certainly **NOT** Juzu's.  This, I think, is the longest chapter out of any of her stories…I don't know, you'd have to ask her.  This chapter ended up almost as long as my longest chapter…that's good for me.  While on Microsoft Word these three chapters have nearly 4000 words.  Hope Juzu likes it even though there really was no fighting.)


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